The Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder has announced the sale of up to 8 gigalitres (GL) of annual water allocations in the Goulburn Catchment in Victoria.
Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder, Dr Simon Banks, said the trade of annual water allocations is a result of the wet conditions over the last three years.
'Nature has been doing the heavy lifting this year in the Goulburn, with the natural high river flows meeting many environmental needs such as providing food and habitat for native fish and other river animals like yabbies and platypus.
'As a result, I am in a position to trade up to 8 GL, or about 3% of the Commonwealth's annual water allocations in the Goulburn catchment and make this water available for other water users.
'This is a sale of annual water allocations, not the permanent water entitlements owned by the Commonwealth, said Dr Banks.
The sale via competitive tender, opens at 10:00am (AEDT) Monday 30 January 2023 and will close at 3:00pm (AEDT) Friday 3 February 2023. The details of the sale can be found at https://www.dcceew.gov.au/water/cewo/trade.
The proceeds of selling water allocations must be used to:
- fund activities to improve the delivery of environmental water and maximise environmental outcomes and support cultural connections and/or
- purchase allocations to meet environmental needs in other valleys.
Dr Banks said since 2014, the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder has sold water allocations on five occasions and committed nearly $5 million to activities which support the recovery of threatened species and improve wetland health.
